Product Description

Coming off a Downbeat salute in which his Nonesuch discography is dubbed "the best recorded output of the deacade", Bill Frisell steps outside of his celebrated ensemble format to take the spotlight alone. His first-ever solo effort is a mix of original tunes seasoned with choice covers that offers a chance for listeners to immerse themselves completely in a sound that has become one of the most recognizable in music today.

With the subtleties of jazz, melded with the earnestness of country, embracing both darkness and light, Bill Frisell continues to create a genre unto himself. As with his last three albums, he continues in a musical vein that has brought him a new level of sales success and radio play, all the while maintaining the respect he has commanded as an innovator for nearly 20 years.

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No matter what the context--and there have been scores of them--Bill Frisell has sounded like he's on one long, constant solo more than any other guitarist in jazz. His playing is singular enough, though, that it always stands way out in a good way, both calling attention to and deflecting attention from itself. With Ghost Town, Frisell is alone--at least in theory. It's definitely a solo outing, but Frisell doubles and triples up with samples and loops, sounding like a virtual ensemble in places. As on Good Dog, Happy Man, Frisell layers differing elements to create a swimming sound that swirls while staying down-home. But the sounds of Ghost Town are alternately more fragile and more challenging than Good Dog, eschewing the regularity of plotted rhythms for the waft of a melody or particular improvisational train of thought. With nods to Hank Williams ("I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry"), The Carter Family ("Wildwood Flower"), and "The Far Side" creator Gary Larson, Frisell explores new ground but never loses sight of the trail he's pioneered between jazz and folksy roots music. --Andrew Bartlett